The power of “I don’t know”
Learn how much saying "I don't know" empowers you.
At some point I was having a 1:1 with a colleague who just transitioned to full-time development, and he asked for some general advice.
As my greying hair suggests, of course I had a story to tell.
Three years ago, in the very first interview for my current position, the interviewer explained the company and the Front-End React role, then opened the floor for questions.
“For now, just one” I said, “I’ve never written a line of React before. I know FE, I know JS and I know software development, but I don’t know React. Is this ok? Do you want to procede?”.
The interviewer took it very well, asked if I was open to learn and we moved forward. The rest is a success story still in the works.
In a world where most prepare themselves to battle as they go to an interview, I chose to be honest and upfront.
Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know”. It sets clear expectations, demonstrates honesty and opens the door to a great path — that of who learns.
This will never fail you: “I don’t know! Let’s find out together”.
